Revolution in physical education: This is how children get excited again!

Revolution in physical education: This is how children get excited again!

Physical education in schools is increasingly viewed as insufficiently critical. Prof. Dr. Benjamin Zander, who has held the professorship of “Sports Science with a focus on Sport and Society” at the since 2023 University of Osnabrück sees the need for more fundamental changes in the way sport is taught. He highlights the often negative experiences of students and adults with school sports and emphasizes that the teaching conditions are often responsible for this. These must not be forgotten in order to make physical education more attractive.

Many students perceive physical education lessons as a one-size-fits-all offering that does not meet their individual needs. Zander notes that physical limitations can stress some students and lead to avoidance strategies. The pressure to be physically active is increased by the high status that sport has in society.

School framework conditions and their effects

Zander confirms that physical education should be more than just a competitive sporting event. He advocates creating spaces for reflection and judgment in order to convey the social meaning of movement. Teachers are required to respond sensitively to students' fears, for example by allowing them to use towels in swimming lessons. Changing situations should take place in smaller groups to ensure more privacy.

Another critical point is that students who do not clearly identify with a gender should also be taken into account in physical education lessons. At this point, Zander emphasizes that grades are not the main problem in physical education classes. The tone in the classroom is much more important. However, he fears that without grades the subject could be devalued, which could undermine motivation and the importance of physical training.

In addition, the current situation in physical education lessons is discussed. Loud MDR Sport promotes competence, belonging and autonomy. Positive emotions that arise from sport are undisputed. Daniel Möllenbeck, sports teacher and president of the German Sports Teachers Association, notes that physical education also plays an essential role in integration and health promotion. The physicality of physical education classes sets it apart from other subjects. Nevertheless, teachers from outside their subject area are often tasked with teaching, which can lead to a disconnect from current methods and findings.

The need for training

There are many reasons for this: a shortage of teachers and the so-called class teacher principle in primary schools mean that teachers often give physical education lessons without specific qualifications. This is seen as problematic in the current discussion. Möllenbeck criticizes the fact that many of these teachers from outside the field are not familiar with the latest findings in physical education. In order to counteract this situation, further training for interested teachers in Hanover is scheduled for autumn 2023, which aims to improve the quality of physical education teaching.

In order to promote the development and improvement of physical education, both schools and trainers are required to break new ground. The concept of physical education needs to be broader in order to enable individual learning settings and creative development. This is in line with the current scientific findings on health promotion in school sports, as can be seen from the work by Gerd Thienes and Iris Pahmeier, which goes into detail about the health psychological aspects Pedagogy specialist portal.

In summary, it can be said that physical education requires a fundamental reorientation in order to meet the demands of a modern society. Professor Zander and his colleagues are calling for a concept that goes beyond “higher, faster, further” and focuses on the individual needs of the students.